Free TV chairman
Harold Mitchell
has warned the Abbott government “not to rush" any loosening of cross-media ownership restrictions as the board of the often-tumultuous peak body prepares to meet on Monday.

The meeting, at which all three chief executives of the metropolitan commercial broadcasters – Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment Co and Network Ten Holdings – are expected to attend, could be tense.

Tim Worner
, CEO of
Kerry Stokes
’s
Seven
, has split from
Nine
’s
David Gyngell
and
Ten
’s
Hamish McLennan
by not supporting to the removal of the reach rule that prevents the networks from buying their regional affiliates. Seven, too, wants to preserve “two out of three" rule, which prevents anyone owning a commercial TV broadcasting licence, a commercial radio licence and a newspaper in the same city.

Mr Mitchell, who will chair the ­second full meeting of the board since he took over as chairman in August, admitted to The Australian Financial Review: “It might be that a consensus in a particular form is impossible,

“But Australian TV operators are very realistic as is Minister [Malcolm] Turnbull, and I believe there will be good outcomes. The best thing is not to rush it. No one should be in a hurry to have a solution unless it is the best one."

Turnbull backs freer regime

Mr Mitchell, who is thought to have put the same argument to the Attorney-General
George Brandis
at a meeting in Sydney last week, will host a Free TV reception in Canberra on March 26.

Mr Turnbull is sympathetic to scrapping cross-media ownership restrictions and letting the regulator decide on mergers based on competition and ­consumer law.